Below you will read a leaflet that I gave out at the IBRA Conference.
I am sure this will answer many of your questions.
For discussion at IBRA 29th January 2011,
Varroa-still a problem in the 21st century?
Introduction
My name is John Harding, I have kept, researched, experimented, observed and used logic and common sense in trying to keep as much to nature as possible while keeping Honeybees. During the last 30 years I have invented bee equipment that does bare my name. I have not used sugar or chemicals for the past 18 years, due to the first approved licensed treatments killing a percentage of my queens. I hoped that one day I would find a natural remedy for the parasitic mite Varroa.
This, I have now done.
Explanation
We know that Honeybees have been on this planet for 100 to 200 million years depending which book you read, so bees have evolved with planet earth. This has brought with it changing climates, polarity change, a change in continents with moving earth plates and a change in flora. In all that time dealing with disease, mites, intruders and any other alien insect or animal, even man.
Habitat
During this time, their home has been in hollow trees, caves or covered protected position so they may get away from draughts, rain or severe weather to build their amazing honeycomb nest that is kept to an accurate temperature +_ 1 degree to raise the numbers required for survival both in summer and winter.
Mankind
Thousands of years ago man found honey. Due to the Honeybees perilous home positions being high in a cave or high up in a tree, man decided to re-home the Honeybee into logs, boxes, skeps and then beehives so as to make it easier to harvest honey. A form of domestication.
Has Man made a difference?
No, except for realising a unique space (Langstroth) that Honeybees respect meaning we as beekeepers can inspect our colonies with frames rather than killing off the bees that were in a skep over a sulphur pit. This observation only happened 150 years ago. Queen excluders were also invented.
Are there any other major discoveries?
Yes, Eddie Woods (a BBC sound engineer) discovered 60 years ago inside the Honeybee nest that vibration levels was measured between 190hertz and 250hertz during normal conditions however when swarming this vibration went up to 300hertz.
Was any scientific work carried out at the time or later? No! If it had we could be further along the path of understanding the Honeybee better. Beekeeping today is much the same as it was in the beginning except of course the Langstroth frame space and Queen excluder.
Have Beekeeping books changed?
No, not really except for the amount of knowledge that we have now gained about the mysterious Honeybee, it always seems to be repetition but more in depth, more of a scientific language.
Can we still learn from the Honeybee?
Yes!
How?
Using observation and logic and asking “What do Honeybees really want?”.
They did not ask to be put into a box or beehive.
However, while in our care, we, as beekeepers, should give them and treat them as if they were in a wild state of nature.
We know they want and use vibration.(Woods)
We know they will respect a unique space.(Langstroth)
We know they use electromagnetic north/south in honeycomb building and in flight.
We know with a strong colony, disease and varroa can be kept to a minimum.
We also know with a colony of strength our rewards of honey is greater.
So! What do Honeybees really want?
Vibration, how is it generated?
At the moment by the Honeybees themselves to ward off predators, for communication and to keep their micro existent climate to a perfect temperature for brood rearing, but is that sufficient?
Unfortunately NO!
Can it be found elsewhere? YES! Planet Earth (NASA)
Planet earth has evolved, so trees, animals, plants, fish, birds and insects has evolved with it and so too, Honeybees, evolving with the planet. Which is why Honeybees not only need a high vibration of 250hertz to sustain their microenvironment but actively look for it by swarming.
How could man know this? You cannot see, feel, touch or sense it.
Planet earth vibrates constantly at 7.83hertz (NASA) unless disturbed.
Honeybees vibrate at between 190htz and 250htz (Woods)
Honeybees are placed by man in a beehive where man wants it, if this is on 7.83htz the bees have to work 31.9 times greater just to stand still. I have reason to believe this weakens their immune system and defence mechanism becoming an easy target for any alien predators like Varroa. Now, not being able to cope, over-stressed, disorder with eventual collapse, dying or disappearance is inevitable.
Does planet earth vibrate at this higher level of 250htz?
Yes, transmitted upwards through underground rivers.
These rivers are everywhere around the planet, like i.e.; blood vessels in our own body. Remember it has taken 4 billion years to get to where we are today. Everything has evolved together to be where it is and why it is there for a reason. The climate, planet earth and logic has dictated that.
Where does the higher earth vibration come from and how?
Planet earths normal vibration of 7.83htz gets interrupted by hollow chambers of running water/fluid creating friction allowing oscillation to resonate to become an Electromagnetic Wave Vibration which will increase it up to and above 250htz. Sound familiar? The rivers/lines of fluid are normally very close to each other varying in depth and only being up to 4 feet wide, like a cobweb, zig zagging their way across the planet at depths of 200 feet or 300 feet creating vibration and rising upwards to the surface and skywards, creating an electromagnetic curtain that reaches to approximately 30,000 feet. (Birds use this curtain to migrate thousands of miles).
I.e. There are 8 rivers/lines in my 3 bed detached house and 80 foot garden, so they are not miles apart.
What is the connection of Honeybee vibration 250hertz and Earth vibration 250hertz?
We know that Honeybees maintain this vibration within their nests (Woods) It is just too much of a coincidence, using logic, that bees are drawn to it when they swarm. They have evolved together over millions of years. Honeybees, Wasps, Bumble bees, Ants, Cats and much more all being attracted to earths higher vibration. They need this higher vibration so they work 31.9 times less. Then able to deal with any unwelcome intruders.
All organism are attracted to or repelled from these lines.
Are Honeybees drawn to Planet Earth higher vibration?
YES! In various ways.
Swarms
Yes, every time they swarm. Honeybees always settle above a 250htz line. This has been checked on every swarm collected, about 30, in the past 3 years.
Bait hives
All bait hives placed above a line attracted a swarm.
Abandoned hives
Whenever I was called out to inspect abandoned hives there was always one beehive above a line. This was the only hive with bees in and thriving. The others had died.
Self selection
Apiaries were left for 4 years to ascertain for self selection. After this time the only hives that survived were above a line, all the others had died out.
Varroa resistant strain
In my early days of queen rearing I too thought I had a resistant strain only to find out every one that showed these qualities was above a line. I could not understand why they were so poor when moved to a new site, having shown perfect qualities when in the original site.(This was before I knew about the lines).
Any beekeeper that thinks he/she has a Varroa resistant strain. I can guarantee will always be above a line.
Feral Colonies
They have not been killed off by Varroa, it was an assumption, not scientific.
Beekeepers are to blame due to putting hives in the wrong place where they die out with Varroa, so no swarms or feral colonies. Feral colonies are still out there surviving. Reduced in numbers, yes, but they are always found above a line.
Sheffield University
I was invited by Ricarda Kather to explain my hypothesis, while there I checked their apiary without any prior knowledge not knowing which was the best or worst beehive as all looked identical. These I believe were used for Varroa hygiene. I found the two best beehives that gave the best hygienic results. These were above a line.
Observations.
Hygienic behaviour
My apiaries have not changed during my beekeeping so observations have been made pre-lines. During all these years Cleanliness, Hygiene and Grooming have always been noticed to be far better than others within the same apiary not realising at that time they were on a line.
Honeybees can deal with Varroa when above a line.
Honey yield
When above a line the honey yield is always 2 or 3 times greater.
Queens
The colonies has tended to supersede rather than swarm. Clearly they are in the right place so why swarm? This does beg the question “Is swarming induced by man?” being put in the wrong place by man.
How long have they been trying to tell us?
Case studies
Case study 1 (within the same apiary)
Take 2 hives of similar size and queen (“A/B“), both infested with Varroa, place “A” above a line, place “B” away from the line.
Hive A; within 6 to 8 weeks this hive will have very little Varroa or none at all and thriving requiring supers.
Hive B; after 6 to 8 weeks will still be heavily ridden with Varroa and much weaker.
Next season reverse these same two hives (if B is still alive) You will observe B becomes Varroa free and A is infested with Varroa.
If you wish using 2 apiaries in the same year the above exchange can be done after 3 months.
“I have used this on countless occasions, with many hives, and the results always being the same”
Case study 2 (within the same apiary)
Take 2 hives of similar size and queen (“C/D”), both infested with Varroa, place “C” above a line, place “D” away from the line.
Hive C; within 6 to 8 weeks this hive will have very little or no Varroa (above as A).
Hive D will be as B, heavily ridden with Varroa.
After 3 months change over the queens from C and D, becoming CD and DC.
CD; You would imagine CD would improve D to be Varroa free, not so, it carries on being ridden with Varroa.
DC; Is still Varroa free.
Conclusion for both case studies..........It is not strain or queen quality but position to where and what the beehive is placed above, i.e.; an Electromagnetic Geopathic Stress Line that vibrates at 250hertz.. Is it the honeybees dealing with Varroa or Varroa not liking the higher vibration? There will always be questions, especially to a way forward. (I have the answer for that to).This is just one question answered. Thank you for reading my hypothesis.
VARROA-STILL A PROBLEM IN THE 21ST CENTURY? NOT ANY MORE!
John Harding